Page for explaining about cultural assumptions about the US that are made by non-US authors.
Yankees -- Calling an American a Yankee is like calling a UK citizen "English". Some are, some aren't, and some are likely to be offended.
It's not really the same. Yankee was originally used to describe New Englanders, and the yank and yankee were used to describe Americans in general by the British before your civil war added another layer http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=yankee
Inside the US, Yankees has a narrower definition than outside the US. Depending on where in the US you are, the most common definitions are:
- In the southeast states, a resident or native of the Northern states, particularly those east of the Mississipi river (the origin of this meaning is in the US Civil War). Residents of the southeast states are the most likely to be offended by calling them a Yankee.
- In the mid-west, it is a resident of the northeastern states, particularly from about Vermont to Maryland. This is interesting because the southeast states consider the mid-west states to be "Yankee states".
- Anywhere, it can be a member of the New York Yankees baseball team
- Many Americans use the term Yankees jokingly - those that use it seriously are usually called "hicks"
The following should be noted about the term Yankee:
- Most if not all Americans are aware of the various overloaded meanings.
- Most if not all Americans are aware that when a foreigner uses the term "Yankee", he/she means Americans in general; rather than any of the more restricted regional meanings for the term.
- Most if not all Americans are well-aware that the term is frequently used as an insult.
- Other than the occasional southerner getting testy about being compared to a northerner, most if not all Americans don't get offended when foreigners call us Yankees, even if met as an insult.
- Gringo is still offensive though.
- Other than by Latin Americans, the word "gringo" doesn't seem to get much use. A pity that; what the world needs is a good all-purpose insult for us Americans... after all, we have lots of good all-purpose insults for everyone else. :)
- Don't non-Americans use American for their insult?
- Yes, much the same way Americans say "non-Americans"
- That one is hashed to death on IfYouCallYourselvesAmerican?. Rest assured, when we use "American" to mean persons from the UnitedStates, there we don't intend any offense. We just don't have another good name to call ourselves... UnitedStatesians? is kinda hard to say. And it should be pointed out that other "continental" terms such as European and especially Asian/African tend to have meanings other than someone from the aforementioned continent. "Asian" tends to refer more to folks from East/Southeast asia (China, Korea) and various offshore islands (Japan, Indonesia), and less to folks from India, Siberia, Afghanistan, etc.--who certainly dwell on the Asian continent. Likewise with "African", which in many contexts refers only to those from Africa with black skin--excluding the fairer-skinned peoples of North Africa and the various descendants of European colonists who call Africa home.
TheoVerelst I'm sure a common non-american cultural assumption is that freedom, freedom of speech and the pursuit of happiness are not desirable or allowed commodities in social life... Not wanting to suggest a clear separation line of course.
"I always thought every American home had a telephone." --a Russian student at ITT Tech
No, there are actually poor people in the US who, although, can easily get a telephone, don't always have phone service or even the hardware for a phone line connected to the house. And there are more wealthy people who've just had a home build which doesn't have all that yet. Crazy Russians... sheesh.
Note: RefactorMe if there is already another page for this.
Non American Cultural Assumptions